Of the ‘giants’ we have examined, that is John Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, John Lennon, Pablo Picasso, Walt Disney and Leonardo da Vinci, and some cases of children who are currently being treated for dyslexia, we must make clear that since astrological consideration has been given to a very restricted number of cases, our opinions may yet change. That said, looking at the birth charts available, the first thing that strikes the eye is the position of Mercury, which seven out of ten times is found in Scorpio, in another two cases in the eighth house, co-significant Scorpio, and in nine out of ten cases bound to Pluto, who is the master of Scorpio. Mercury is therefore in a position of exaltation and symbolises the great intuitive intelligence that the subject possesses by which, in the Mars years, he deals with emotional problems through mental application, precisely because in this way he can hide them in the depths of his soul. In the first three or four years of life, represented by the second house-Taurus (50% of the people examined have Scorpion Mercury in the second house in their birth charts) which is opposed to the eighth house-Scorpio, the subject finds himself a little isolated, if not sidelined, and sometimes even cheated by brothers or contemporaries, which evokes a sense of inferiority that sometimes comes out as timidity, sometimes as awkwardness and other times through a provocative, rebellious and bull-headed attitude. The affective disorder that the subject suffers is shown ‘openly’ to the parents at school age, that is during the Mercury years, and according to the arrangement of the planets in the house, in the sign, and the aspects formed with other planets, translates into difficulty with reading, incomprehensible writing, an incapacity to write without mistakes (Mercury afflicted by Pluto who is exalted in Gemini or partially afflicted Mercury placed in a Gemini house) and in addition, problems with numbers and calculation (Mercury afflicted by Saturn). Other significant elements are provided by Mars, which was positive in 90% of cases, but in these very birth charts, Mars, who is in base domicile in Scorpio, represents the aggression, vital energy and courage that the subject needs to survive and make his way in the world. It is, indeed, in these years that the people we have considered began to chart their courses and distinguish themselves through their creativity. Jupiter, who symbolises words, sight, imagery, social integration and is often linked positively to a Saturn placed in his domiciles or in exaltation, suggests the strong sense of responsibility that these subjects were obliged to adopt from an early age, depriving them of the unbridled joy of communal play and forcing them to play alone or at the most with one companion at a time: from this, in fact, a certain mental and behavioural rigidity can arise that is projected through their speech and their way of presenting themselves. Once the individual is an adult, on the other hand, the harmonious aspects of Jupiter and Saturn bring to the fore their capacity to sustain their image, if necessary by adopting a role, and success is achieved, as is a strong financial position over time. To conclude, then, we must not overlook Neptune, another planet that is very influential in the birth chart: a Neptune, in a nutshell, that symbolises par excellence geniality, fantasy, collective sensibility, unruliness, diversity. From an early age, the subjects examined showed great imagination which helped them create an imaginary friend, to invent stories or games, and to enjoy themselves in a world of their own, and it is precisely this world full of fantasy that makes them appear, particularly at school age, as half-hearted, distracted, inattentive, different: but it is also precisely this world full of invention that allows them to become geniuses.
by Carla Pretto
translated by Nick Skidmore